Gabriel Clement, le Duc d'Orleans
Gabriel Clement (5 October 1736- 4 October, 1802) is the current Duc d'Orleans. He is considered one of the most prominent architects in Grandelumiere, taking over the former Duc d'Orleans' father's company and renovating several of their chateaux upon Andreus Moreau le Monsieur du Avigne's death. Early Life Gabriel Clement was born in Chateau de Saint-Etienne in the 5th of October, 1736. His father, Philippe de Valois (1710-1741), was the son of Isabelle Madeleine (1693-1734) and her husband Ferdinand du Chanteneau (1691-1720). He had died of an unknown disease, believed to be possibly dropsy or consumption. Gabriel's mother, a cruel harlot from a now-extinct line of House Montauban named Christine Marie (1711-1745), was especially cruel to him, as he was the youngest and must stay at the house for private tutoring. From a young age, Gabriel was moderately close to his older siblings, namely Margeurite Leonore, who treated him somewhat as a friend more than a putrid sibling that was only there for the prospect of marriage. His father bitterly hated him because he took little of the same interests and his mother detested his existence for not being a daughter. Gabriel was considered to be very kind, almost to the point that he was seen as a jolly man. Being slightly overweight, he quietly struggled with issues of health, especially that of sedentary thought. However, when around those he felt close to, he was very lively. He would on occasion rupture with laughter and was rarely seen frowning when away from the clutches of his parents. Gabriel was eventually educated quite past-due, taking his great escape in education itself, having started working with an Andreus Moreau by the age of 17. He was very notable to have been especially skilled in interior decoration, something that Andreus began to struggle in as he aged. Gabriel's life away from his family however was largely in silence. When in serious situations, he would be arguably the most silent creature on the whole of the Earth. This can also be said about his life around strangers. As Gabriel matured into a young man of independent wealth, he maintained his jolliness and went further into philanthropy. At one instance he was almost bankrupt after sending so much of his wealth to charities of varrying stances. Eventually, however, he was able to maintain some form of balance within his life as to moderating between sustainability and charity. Upon Andreus's death in 1760, Gabriel oversaw the takeover of his business and began designing his own structures to later be built. In 1766, the Duc d'Orleans, Jean-Claude Moreau Lowell-Valois, died quietly in his home at Vincennes. By law, the title of Duc d'Orleans was granted to Gabriel, as he was by then the sibling of the Duchesse de Valois. Revolution of 1768 and Aftermath As the revolution began to break out, Gabriel tended to remain in hiding near Amne, as he was aware of the chance of his execution. In 1769, he was arrested trying to escape the country and taken to Champignon Prison. The conditions were notably terrible. On one occasion, Gabriel had to survive the acting riot and remain completely uninvolved. This action saved his very life, as he was left alone while the 3 day riot came to a bloody end. In the stiff winter of 1769-1770, the prison ran out of fuel for the fires. The need was so strong that they required prisoners to surrender their furnishings and be forced to cut down trees and the likes for fuel, and even the dead were burned for fuel in the cellar, leading to a putrid stench to linger almost perpetually. Gabriel himself was forced to sleep on a mat on the floor, the only other "furnishings" in his cell being straw floor padding and a tarnished crucifix. In the late spring, Champignon burned to the ground, killing most of the prisoners. Gabriel, one of 249 surviving prisoners, was then sent to Bermont Prison. He was allowed to bring with him only his crucifix, as Bermont was mildly in better condition adn furnishings were already provided. Gabriel would survive the revolution, though with great sacrifice. He was partially blinded and severely beaten by guards, to the point that he has small scars on his back and his right eye being semi-functional. Mentally, he was largely traumatized by what he had seen. Gabriel suffered from mild instances of going blank in the face, often triggered by loud noises or violent images. He would even suffer such issues in the middle of conversation with no certain explaination. Likewise, he suffered occasional convulsions triggered by similar sounds or visions. The worst of these occasions occured in an instant when his eyes released small amounts of blood in tears and in a snap he almost shattered his left hand. Marriage and Later Life Shortly following the fall of the Revolutionary Government, Gabriel resumed his daily life, attempting to wipe the past of the revolution from his very existence. In March of 1711, he married Henriette Françoise the Mademoiselle d'Auvergne after the arrangements was made between himself and Henriette's father, the Duc d'Auvergne. The ceremony, while a joyous occasion, was met with somber reflection, as all were wearing black for Lent. The Duc would cherish his wife, as he considered her to be most interesting and beautiful despite others disagreeing. He swore himself to devote his life to respecting her and giving her independence in as many aspects as possible. As a nickname, he often referred to his wife as "Poppet" as it, in his often frivolous mind, reminded him of the image of her curtseying when they first met. Henriette's clumsiness was considered by Gabriel to be endearing. He adored her, and was decently attracted to her, although some sources may argue that he had the wandering eye yet rarely if ever acted upon it. This being said, it was well-known by many that Gabriel, having been such heavily influenced by the Revolution, had lost much of the liveliness of his youth. He had become more subdued, subtle, and less involved as he had been before. He was more silenced than anything, limiting himself heavily as being afraid to speak at all much less for fear he may say the wrong thing. All things considered, Gabriel was notably very witty even after the Revolution. Those who crossed him soon wished they hadn't, though he meant much of his words in jest. He was noted to have been very affectionate and exuberant when in smaller groups, and would come to life at parties as well as at nights of playing cards. This being said however, the majority of his liveliness after the Revolution was very muted, being reserved to making short yet wise and witty remarks at court. He was generally well-liked for being the occasional flamboyant courtier that he once was, though he was more often than not attempting to merely keep a level head and kept serious undertones in some of his actions. In 1773, Gabriel was slammed with the shocking death of his young wife in childbirth. He wracked himself with such a severe guilt that he locked himself away for weeks at a time. All of his ambitions halted. All of his dreams ended. Gabriel was crushed, but he had to remain composed as he now had a son without a mother. In order to ease the burden, he hires Marie Augustine the Dame d'Epergnoncay, an aged lower noble, to help raise and tutor the young boy. He soon finds that Marie was the sister of a previous Duc d'Orleans, and is soon taught of her disinheritment. He feels sorrow for her cause, so in return for her service, he offers his son, by this point named Gaston-Philippe, to marry her granddaughter, named Jeanne Victoire. She reluctantly agrees, and in 1787, the couple is wed. Gabriel's closeness to his son continued to grow even after the wedding. in 1792, Gabriel quietly retired from Court, wishing to remain in peace for the remainder of his life. He also knew that it was only a matter of time before his life would end, and wished not to bother a soul with the concern and upset it would bring those around him. He and Marie Augustine lived in Vincennes until Marie's death in 1795. From then, Gabriel moved to Clermonceau. He looked out his window into the Domaine de la Duchesse every day for the rest of his life. Death and Succession Gabriel never left Clermonceau again. In 1801, his son made his final visit, presenting to him a grandson, named Charles Antoine. This gave Gabriel much joy, a joy that would unfortunately be cut short. Gabriel suffered a very major stroke at the end of 1801. He began thinking he was still imprisoned in Champignon, and would have continued violent convulsions. Gabriel's condition suddenly worsened in July of 1802 when a growth was found on his leg. It was believed that this growth was benign, but it grew eventually festerous. Gabriel's health was completely gone. His senses, however, briefly returned. He was able to get his affairs back into order before he finally suffered a ruptured hernia. He died in severe pain on October 4th, 1802, only 1 day short of his 68th birthday, after being granted last rites. Witnesses to his death included his son, who said that the name "Henriette" was whispered as his last breath left his body and he closed his tearful wimpering eyes. The withering man was not granted common honors, and was not given a marked burial. His son succeeded him upon his death. Category:House Lowell-Valois Category:Grandelumierian Nobility Category:1700s births